


Devil on your shoulder, Angel in your head

by AriannaKoz



Category: Black Mirror
Genre: Arkangel - Freeform, Sara kinda becomes a vigilante, i just needed them to end up together, you can't tell me the government just passed this up, you know the technology would have been used for this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 12:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17366048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriannaKoz/pseuds/AriannaKoz
Summary: Running away was only the beginning. When Sara accidentally takes shelter in the warehouse owned by the now-defunct Arkangel program, she comes up with a plan to use the technology that took so much from her for good. But even miles from home, the past has a funny way of finding you.





	Devil on your shoulder, Angel in your head

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I recently re-watched my favourite episode of Black Mirror and immediately came up with this idea that wouldn’t leave me alone.

_The leak in the ceiling above my makeshift bed was keeping me from sleeping. Not because of the sound, or because it was dripping on me, but because I’d managed to convince myself that the water would only finally begin to pour onto my head the moment I fell asleep. I suppose one is prone to such flights of fancy at 17. With a groan that is barely audible over the creak from the springs of my ancient couch-bed, I roll over and slouch across the room to my mini-fridge. Not finding anything but stale bread and half a carton of milk, I grab the carton and slide into the only good piece of furniture I have. Taking a swig, I pivot my desk chair. I’d much rather have a coffee but I’m no idiot – I know I’ll never fall asleep if I do, even with my crappy instant mix. Face to face with my Wall, I smile despite it all, and think back to how I ended up here while I review the day’s videos for the second time today._

\------------------------------------

In the end, I have to believe that the universe was on my side. I’d managed to journey clear across to the other side of the country in only 22 days, with almost no trouble what so ever. Well... at least less than I’d expected. The first trucker that picked me up, back in my hometown, was a friendly old man named Fred who couldn’t shut up about his grandkids.

“But you can call me Freddie. Everyone does.”

Since Freddie didn’t ask me a single question about where I was headed all by myself like that, I figured it was the least I could do to call him Freddie and listen to him wax poetic about Louise, who’d just won the district spelling bee (“little genius that one, way smarter than her years”) and Jackson, who Freddie swore was the next Babe Ruth.

“But you should have seen that baseball fly, Sara!” I’d told him my real name, against everything my mother had ever taught me. Because screw her.

Sadly, Freddie had been near the end of his run and he’d had to drop me off, unless I wanted to head right back the way we’d come. That was a big no thank you. After that had been Vlad and his beat up Toyota, Vlad being a Russian man in his mid-30s with a strong accent and an even stronger smell of vodka on his breath. Other than swerving quite a bit more than desirable, his tendency of placing his hand just a little too high up my leg at times, and his habit of calling me his _myshka_ , he wasn’t all bad. I can’t really complain because he took me over half way, and managed not to get pulled over in the meantime. I almost felt bad about calling the police from a pay phone after he dropped me off, but he’d almost run three people over in those few days and I can’t let that kind of thing slide.

Martha was the worst. I think she picked me up just so she’d have someone to lecture. God, could she ever whine! I think I decided to finally stop where she dropped me simply because I couldn’t stand the thought of winding up with another one of her.

“You remind me so much of my daughter, Lacie, you know. At least, before she threw every advantage I’d ever given her in life to run off with that good-for-nothing piece of shit.” Here her grip on the wheel got so tight her knuckles turned white. “Oh, sorry, pardon my language, sweetie; I just get so riled up.” At this point, she likely remembered that I too was running away (not that I ever told her as much. I couldn’t stand the lecture.) “At least you’re not running off with some guy.”

I didn’t bother to tell her that I’d much rather have been running away with a guy – a specific guy – but that he didn’t happen to want me.

In the end, I almost couldn’t get rid of her. Leaning out of her window to call out to me after she dropped me off at the edge of town, she had a frown on her face.

“Are you sure you’re alright, honey? Did you want to use my phone to call your mom?”

I shake my head no and tap on my head. “She’s known where I am my whole life.” Realization dawns on her face. Martha seems like the kind of mom who would know about Arkangel. I don’t bother to tell her that my implant is about as useful as a rock at this point.

“You lucky girl. My Lacie didn’t qualify for the implant.” As usual, her face darkens at the mention of her absentee daughter before driving off. I can’t help but laugh.

\--

The part of town that Martha left me in is not far from the warehouse district. Money is in short supply, and I figure it’s better to save it for food. I spend my first week breaking into places and getting chased out, either by the owners or other squatters that don’t want to share.

This is the 4th time. I’ve been walking through the streets almost all day when I find an old, abandoned warehouse whose lock I can pick. I try not to think about the fact that that’s something Trick taught me, or how he laughed when I called him a master criminal.

“Yeah, OK, Sara. I learned how at work in case any of the desks at the store got locked accidentally.” I try not to think about how I believed him, how I believed everything he said – like a fool.

The warehouse was huge, but most of the shelves were empty, waiting to be filled. The boxes that remained were stacked neatly, two high and two deep, with fragile stamped all over them. There were maybe a hundred boxes, covered in dust, but I didn’t pay them much mind as I walked past. I was dead tired and just wanted somewhere to sleep for the night. An office halfway down the building seemed promising.

The office was perfect. There was a desk and office chair along a wall that it shared with a little kitchenette. Along the other wall was a old couch covered in plastic, and a door that I discovered led to a bathroom which was surprisingly clean. Other than that, there were a few filing cabinets and a tablet on the desk. Clearly no one else had gotten around to breaking into this warehouse, even thought the level of dust clearly indicated it had been vacant for a long time. Unfortunately, the fridge had no food – not that it would have been good anyway. Exhausted, I locked the office door, shuffled the filing cabinet in front of it and plopped onto the couch. I was asleep in seconds.

I awoke to a grimy room lit by one dim light bulb hanging overhead. It had looked a lot better when I stumbled in nearly asleep last night. Munching on a granola bar I pull from my bag, I figure I may as well look around. Curious, I try to turn on the tablet, but obviously it’s dead. Not wanting to risk tipping anyone off to my presence by using more electricity than necessary, I slip it and the charger into by bag. I’ll go to the public library later. The filing cabinets are locked but the key is tapped under the desk.

Opening the first folder I see, the granola bar drops out of my hand in shock when I see the company name at the top of the first sheet. No longer caring about the electric bill, I plug the tablet in and pace while it charges.

I can’t unsee the logo blinking back at me when it finally loads.

Arkangel.

\--

I spent the rest of that week obsessed. The tablet wasn’t one of the units; it was just a regular work tablet. On it were videos and documents of every type. Budgets, spreadsheets, expansion plans. Training videos of how to insert the units, link them to the tablets, troubleshoot issues. I watch these on repeat, trying in vain to remember what it was like the day my mom ruined my life. By the end of the first two days, you’d think I’d worked at the insertion clinics. By the fifth day, I’d read every file and catalogued every box, file and speck of dust in that warehouse. The boxes were filled with the implants and the special tablets that linked to them. I hadn’t gone outside except to buy myself more food. I ignored the fact I was running low on cash. The obvious solution was to pawn the tablet, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. Not yet.

By the end of the week, I’d come up with a plan. A plan that would make up for everything Arkangel ever took from me.

I’d make sure this wasn’t all for nothing.

And I’d do it all using their own equipment.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyway, that was that. Thank you for giving this fic a shot, especially since I haven't found any other Arkangel fics (please tell me if you know one!)  
> I can't believe everyone just writes Bandersnatch and San Junipero fics, especially since Arkangel is so great! So I'm throwing this out there, hope you'll like it. 
> 
> This work will be about 4 chapters unless people want more.


End file.
